Chapter 2
A hand on his arm snapped him out of his panic causing him to open his eyes glancing around the room. He was no longer in the Gryffindor dorms, no it was so much worse than that. He was in the possibly worst place he could have found himself in, the Slytherin common room.
How was he in the dungeons?
One second he was in the towers and now he was here? It was like magic(haha), but no, apparating inside Hogwarts was impossible. It should have been impossible, yet here he was.
Not only that but the Slytherin common room was filled with people who hated him. To make matters worse Malfoy was the person who currently had his hand on Harry's shoulder which he was not letting go of.
Harry had no idea what to say or do to fix the situation he found himself in. No one ever thinks to have a plan for if they apparate into the common room of a house who hates them against their will. Which shouldn't have been possible in the first place.
With his awful luck, he should have thought something like this out, but he didn't and it was far too late to do anything besides hope for the best. Maybe they would all let him go and forget this mess ever happened? Unlikely but possible.
Luckily he wasn't the one to have to break the silence that had fallen over the room since Malfoy didn't seem to be at the same loss of words he found himself at, “Potter what are you doing here and how did you apparate inside of school grounds? Never mind that, maybe you should sit down for a minute you don't look so good.”
He didn't seem all that angry at Harry just showing up in Slytherin which scared him more than if Malfoy had started yelling. All he knew was that there was no way in hell he was going to sit down with people who hated him.
He was going to leave immediately before he got hexed, cursed, or worse. He couldn't go back to Gryffindor Tower, that was out of the question for obvious reasons but it's not like he would go back even if he could. He wasn't any more welcome there than with the Slytherins.
He could stay in one of the hundreds of empty rooms in the castle where no one would find him, spend his time resting, and try to forget the nightmare that had been the last hour.
Maybe this was all a bad dream and he would wake up in his four-poster bed and go back to being ignored and hated by the whole school. But that sadly wasn't the case and he had to face the consequences of whatever awful thing he had done to get where he was now.
Everyone in the room was staring at him, he couldn't blame them he must look pathetic trying to calm down and stop hyperventilating. At least no one looked like they would try to stop him if he tried to bolt so that was a plus.
He took a deep breath trying to project confidence or at the very least get his voice to stop shaking, “Malfoy I don't know how I got here but I'm just going to leave now and we can all pretend this never happened. You guys can get back to whatever you were doing before I showed up and you don't need to worry about me coming back. I promise this will never happen again.”
He tried to stand up but Malfoy still wouldn't let go of his arm, staring at him like he was seeing Harry clearly for the first time. In a way, it almost seemed like he was concerned. But Harry quickly pushed that thought out of his head, Malfoy concerned about him? Never in a million years.
Malfoy looked Harry up and down in a way that made his skin crawl, all he wanted to do was run yet he couldn’t even get Malfoy to release his arm.
“Did you take something or did something happen? One of us can take you to the hospital wing or get a professor if you want, either way, you need help. Or we can bring someone down here to come get you and bring you back to the tower. It's important you tell me if you took something Potter, your pupils are shot so don't even try to tell me you're okay.” He looked around the common room saying to the group at large “We shouldn't let him leave in the state he’s in, someone get a calming drought.”
Harry was shocked as someone immediately ran off he assumed to get the potion but there was no way he was going to drink anything any of them gave him. He was fine. He just needed to leave so he could calm down in the only way that helped, making himself bleed until he got lightheaded and couldn't remember what he was worried about in the first place.
Watching the blood roll down his arm, feeling the blade push into his skin and the burn that followed. The tears that despite his best efforts always came to his eyes yet never fell. But he couldn't leave as Malfoy was still standing next to him holding onto his arm like if he let go Harry would run. To be fair he would the second he got the chance but still.
A sixth-year girl came back with the calming drought handing it to Malfoy who tried to give it to him but he refused. Malfoy tried once again to force it into his hand while complaining “Potter I swear to Merlin if you don't take this I'll shove it down your throat or charm it into your stomach, your call on if you want to make this easy or hard. Either way, you're taking this potion and sitting down.”
He was shocked at how insistent Malfoy was especially about such a stupid thing. He had always been insistent when he put his mind to something which was something he didn't get enough credit for in Harry's opinion. But he should be shoving Harry out of the common room after curing him for the way he showed up, not this. Anything but this.
“Malfoy I'm not taking anything you giving me, how do I know you didn't poison it?”
Malfoy rolled his eyes as if he was acting like a child, “Potter why would I poison you when I could have cursed you at any point during the last five minutes?”
That was a good point but he wasn't going to fall for Malfoy's tricks, it was probably just a ruse to get him to take the potion. “I don't care I'm not-”
“Potter take the calming drought.”
He felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over him, he couldn't bring himself to argue with Malfoy anymore. What was the point of wondering if Malfoy was trying to poison him or not? If he really wanted to hurt Harry he could have done it at any point throughout their interaction, yet he hadn’t. Besides what did he have to lose?
He took the potion and downed it in one go dropping the bottle when he was done with it. It shattered as it hit the ground making half the room startle. Malfoy looked at him like he was crazy but to be fair Harry felt it, maybe someone was finally seeing how messed up he was.
“Potter I think you should sit down and take a few deep breaths or something, and try to snap out of whatever is going on with you,” Malfoy said as he started gently pushing Harry onto a couch that he could have sworn was not empty the last time he looked.
Harry felt the artificial calm wash over him as he went where Malfoy directed him sitting down on the surprisingly comfortable couch. Who knew leather could be that comfortable?
Malfoy looked at him with pity saying “Why don't you close your eyes for a bit?” Who was Malfoy to pity him? He never cared about Harry's shit life before so why start now? He didn't want to listen to Malfoy but his eyes against his will started to drift shut. He fell asleep to a blanket being draped against him and the whispering of slightly panicked voices surrounding him.
___
He woke up to the feeling of a body pressed next to his and a green light flashing across his vision. It took him a second to realize he was in the Slytherin common room and not in his bed in Gryffindor Tower.
Like the previous night, Malfoy was the first person he saw when he opened his eyes. The memories of the day came crashing down on him, the only thing he could think of was how he needed to leave before Malfoy woke up, or anyone came down.
He had no idea how he had fallen asleep with the Slytherins of all people, even more so since it had been over a year since he had gotten a full night's sleep. At this point, he was more used to not sleeping than being able to. But that was something he could worry about later, now he had to focus on getting out.
He felt the nothingness that had been with him begin to fade away leaving a constant buzz in its place. Was this better or worse? Feeling everything or feeling nothing?
Feeling everything, the constant flow of thoughts rushing through his head was much harder to ignore than the emptiness. It always feels like it lasts an eternity. He often spent his nights wandering the halls or reading his textbooks during these times trying to ignore the thoughts running through his head although none of it ever worked. He was stuck with it.
Fred or George tried to stay up with him during the worst nights making sure he didn't do something stupid after one too many times he nearly got himself killed testing out whatever ideas came to him. Or that one time he nearly bled out from cutting too deep, but it's not like that was that big of a deal they were just exaggerating its severity.
Really, It was a one-time thing he wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. Yet they never believed him when he told them as much.
He was fine, completely fine.
They weren't here right now so he could do whatever he wanted as long as he got out of the dungeons. It was a Sunday morning meaning he didn't have to go to classes or back to the tower to grab his school bag.
He slowly started to move pushing a blanket off himself inching his way from the couch when he felt Malfoy start to move. He quickly laid back down hoping Malfoy wasn't waking up, that would make things so much harder than they needed to be.
Just to be safe he closed his eyes pretending to be asleep slowing down his breathing, which would have worked except for the fact that he couldn't help the slight tapping of his foot on the ground itching just to say fuck it and run out of the common room and never to come back.
Unfortunately, since nothing in his life was ever easy Malfoy woke up scowling as he realized Harry was trying to leave. “Potter don't think you're going to leave without talking about last night.”
He sighed standing up since there was no use pretending to be asleep any longer, it clearly hadn't worked in the slightest.
“Malfoy don't get me wrong I really appreciate you giving me that calming drought and everyone not hexing me and stuff but clearly I'm fine and I really should be leaving now. I don't know how I ended up here but it won't happen again, sorry for just you know showing up in your common room unannounced and all that. But like I said I should be going now, if I'm not back soon Fred and George are probably going to worry I did something stupid, they might even be out looking for me right now, who knows? So thanks again for last night and letting me sleep here but bye.”
He knew he was talking too fast and rambling on but he couldn't help it, all he could do was hope Malfoy wouldn't be awake enough to notice and would just let him go. He of course wasn't that lucky as Malfoy looked at him in sudden understanding. “So you're in this type of mood now, that explains a lot about how you were acting last night.”
Wow, that didn't sound creepy at all?!
He didn't know what Malfoy thought he knew or understood but he didn't like it. “Malfoy I don't know what you're talking about, you don't know shit, and like I said I should be going now.”
Malfoy looked at him like he was stupid which was oddly comforting as he had become weirdly accustomed to that look over the last four years.
“Potter don't act stupid you think I haven't noticed your different moods and ways you act by now? Just because Gryffindors are oblivious doesn't mean Slytherins are. Our whole house has noticed since it's clear as day to anyone who even pays an ounce of attention to you as a person. Not that many do mind you, we just haven't said anything, we know how to keep secrets. Before you were at least trying to hide it, but now you're not even bothering to, you're naive if you think no one will or has noticed.”
Harry was shocked. Besides Fred and George, no one had noticed or cared enough to say anything. Even though Malfoy didn't sound like he cared or was going to tell the entire school what he knew, he definitely should leave before he shared any more of his deepest secrets as easily as if they were talking about the weather.
“Ok first of all Malfoy my mask was good and besides all of Slytherin, no one noticed, it's not my fault you're the most observant house. No one noticed my mask or lack thereof now because they see what they want to see which in my case is the perfect Gryffindor savior of the wizarding world.”
Malfoy laughed under his breath, “Potter we don't need to sit down, we can walk around the grounds or halls to talk. It's so early no one will see us together if you're worried about that.”
He was glad Malfoy wasn't suggesting they stay in the common room and he didn't have to stay sitting so he got up and followed Malfoy out into the hall.
“You're the one who needs to be worried about being with me Malfoy so walk with me at your own risk. Or have you not read the daily prophet and seen what the Ministry is saying about me, I'm a crazy attention-seeking psycho you know. Watch out it may be contagious if you're around me too long.”
Malfoy frowned and said, “I've read them but I'm not naive enough to believe every rumor I hear or what's published in the paper. I've known you for five years I know you better than any article could ever pretend to”.
He couldn't help but feel shocked Malfoy seemed to have even an ounce of common sense. “There's no reason for you to get all upset in my honor Malfoy you know some of what they say is true, not all, but some.”
“Potter I don’t care if every word they said was true. You're not dangerous to be around and I know the truth about the Graveyard, so does the rest of us. There's no need to prove anything to us or put on a mask, we are used to prejudice and discrimination.”
They continued to walk falling into surprisingly comfortable silence. Harry was just glad Malfoy hadn’t brought up the events of the previous night since their original conversation but he had the sinking feeling he wouldn’t be this lucky for long.
Besides he should probably try and find Fred and
George before they started worrying more than he knew they already were at him disappearing into thin air(literally) and then not returning. Malfoy hadn’t been scared off by anything he said yet but he hadn’t let Harry leave his line of sight, so who knows?
There were countless excuses he had already tried to make Malfoy leave him alone with none being successful. But actions speak louder than words and all that, so he turned around without glancing back and started sprinting in the opposite direction he and Malfoy had been walking.
He quickly shouted “Thanks for everything Malfoy” as he turned the corner leaving him standing wordlessly behind.
He felt kind of bad as he heard Malfoy shout “Potter wait” as he sprinted away but that quickly faded as the breathless feeling took over. Some of the thoughts that had been running through his head started to fade away.
Not enough for him to bring himself to slow down but enough to make existing bearable again.
Just barely.